Bill Text: IL HR0512 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourns the death of Emma Marie Shafer of Springfield.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-01-16 - Resolution Adopted [HR0512 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2023-HR0512-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION | ||||||
2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Emma | ||||||
4 | Marie Shafer of Springfield, who passed away on July 11, 2023; | ||||||
5 | and
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6 | WHEREAS, Emma Shafer was born to Mary C. "Cathy" Schwartz | ||||||
7 | and John M. Shafer in Springfield on April 13, 1999; she | ||||||
8 | graduated from Springfield High School; she earned an | ||||||
9 | associate's degree in political science from Lincoln Land | ||||||
10 | Community College and a bachelor's degree in urban studies | ||||||
11 | from the New School in New York City; and
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12 | WHEREAS, Emma Shafer was passionately involved in public | ||||||
13 | office, serving as an intern in the office of U.S. Senator | ||||||
14 | Tammy Duckworth, a Fellow in the New York City Mayor's Office | ||||||
15 | of Immigrant Affairs, and a committee clerk at the State of | ||||||
16 | Illinois House of Representatives; and
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17 | WHEREAS, Emma Shafer was currently working at The Wakery | ||||||
18 | and had just been hired to work for M.H. Action, where she was | ||||||
19 | looking forward to advocating for the rights of people who | ||||||
20 | live in manufactured homes; and
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21 | WHEREAS, Emma Shafer was a lifelong activist; as a |
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1 | teenager, she participated in several youth service projects | ||||||
2 | with Westminster Presbyterian Church, including helping to | ||||||
3 | repair homes for low-income families in Appalachia, later | ||||||
4 | joining the Appalachian Service Project staff; more recently, | ||||||
5 | she was committed to serving Springfield through educating the | ||||||
6 | public about the harmful effects of the carbon dioxide (CO2) | ||||||
7 | pipeline, advocating for an energy resource plan for City, | ||||||
8 | Water, Light, and Power (CWLP) and the remediation of the coal | ||||||
9 | ash ponds surrounding CWLP, and developing a food | ||||||
10 | co-op/community center to serve Springfield's east side; her | ||||||
11 | long-term plans included hosting redlining tours to explain | ||||||
12 | the history and impact of racially discriminatory city | ||||||
13 | planning in Springfield; she especially enjoyed canvassing and | ||||||
14 | hosted weekly soup night gatherings in her home, bringing | ||||||
15 | together advocates she believed needed to know each other; and
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16 | WHEREAS, Emma Shafer served as the membership chair of the | ||||||
17 | Sierra Club Sangamon Valley Group, an incoming board member | ||||||
18 | for the Springfield Immigrant Advocacy Network, a former | ||||||
19 | organizer with the Faith Coalition for the Common Good, and an | ||||||
20 | active volunteer of countless other community groups; and
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21 | WHEREAS, Emma Shafer loved theater, having her breakout | ||||||
22 | role in Dear Edwina, Jr. at the Springfield Theatre Center in | ||||||
23 | 2010 before starring in The Diary of Anne Frank at Theatre in | ||||||
24 | the Park in New Salem in 2014 and playing her dream role of |
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1 | Mother in Ragtime at Springfield High School in 2017; earlier | ||||||
2 | this year, she played the role of Eva Geiringer in And Then | ||||||
3 | They Came For Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank at the | ||||||
4 | University of Illinois at Springfield; she also worked in | ||||||
5 | various behind-the-scenes roles across numerous theater | ||||||
6 | productions, including in directing, lighting, and organizing; | ||||||
7 | and
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8 | WHEREAS, Emma Shafer was attracted to activist theater, | ||||||
9 | believing it pushed people towards humanity, and loved | ||||||
10 | traveling, making trips for both pleasure and service to | ||||||
11 | California, New York, Europe, and South Africa; and
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12 | WHEREAS, Emma Shafer was known for her big hugs, bright | ||||||
13 | smile, thrifted clothes, beautifully written poetry and | ||||||
14 | newspaper editorials, and her ability to make everyone she was | ||||||
15 | with feel like the most important person in the world; she will | ||||||
16 | be remembered for her funky, goofy, and larger than life | ||||||
17 | spirit; and
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18 | WHEREAS, Emma Shafer was preceded in death by her | ||||||
19 | grandparents, Frank "Beaver" Schwartz, Mary "Fran" Schwartz, | ||||||
20 | and Robert Shafer; and
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21 | WHEREAS, Emma Shafer is survived by her parents; her | ||||||
22 | sisters, Michelle B. "Shelley" (Zach) Brown and Kathryn L. |
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1 | "Katie" (Drew) deMarco; her grandmother, Patricia Shafer; her | ||||||
2 | nieces and nephews, Carter deMarco, Leo deMarco, Henry | ||||||
3 | deMarco, Ava Brown, and Emma Brown; and numerous aunts, | ||||||
4 | uncles, cousins, and friends; therefore, be it
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5 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
6 | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
7 | we mourn the passing of Emma Marie Shafer and extend our | ||||||
8 | sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew | ||||||
9 | and loved her; and be it further
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